Located at the heart of Europe, the Czech Republic owns a nice combination of culture, history, and heritage. With its thousand-year-old bohemian history, the architectural beauty of Prague and other major cities enthralls the whole world. The Czech Republic has been emerging as a European education hub. The number of international students is increasing exponentially each year. Let’s take a look at the application process, tuition, living cost, and scholarship opportunities for international students in the Czech Republic.
Why Study in the Czech Republic?
The foreign office of the Czech Republic estimates that the number of international students studying at different levels of higher education reached an all-time high of 46,000 in 2022. The growing number of foreign students is a testament to the quality and value of generative education available in the country.
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Additionally, Czech universities are consistently ranked as some of the best for research and innovation-driven education. With more and more courses being introduced in English, opportunities are simply opening up for internal students.
Another important aspect of Czech education is the balance and cost. Here foreign students get ample part-time work opportunities all the while enjoying some of the lowest tuition fees in Europe. And if you decide to reside outside the metropolis, you will have a much lower living expense as well.
Higher Studies in the Czech Republic
Higher study in the Czech Republic is similar to other European countries. International students can pursue bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. in a range of disciplines offered by various universities. In some cases, prospective students wishing to pursue a master’s in the Czech Republic need to enroll in a pre-degree course to acclimatize with the Czech higher study system.
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However, one key difference with the Czech higher study application process is the “Nostrifikace” or Nostrification process. We’ll break it down in the latter part.
Application Process for Higher Education in the Czech Republic
There are mainly two intakes every year in the Czech Republic: Fall and Spring. The spring session admission lasts from November to January whereas the fall session admission lasts from June to August. The tentative date of class commencement is around the first week of February and September for the spring and fall sessions respectively.
The documents required for higher studies in the Czech Republic are more or less the same at the bachelor, master’s, and Ph.D. levels.
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Common attachments will include
- Proof of last completed education level
- Language proficiency score (IELTS/TOEFL)
- SOP
- Letter of Recommendation
- Application fee payment
- Bank statement
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In addition to that, if you are applying for a master’s, you will need to provide a research plan based on your undergraduate thesis or a similar stream matching your undergraduate degree. For Ph.D., an applicant will need to demonstrate strong academic excellence with a good research record to be eligible for admission.
Applicants might be required to sit for an entrance exam based on the requirements of the university. The entrance exams are conducted on campus, but for international students, it can either be waived or moved to interview via skype.
Nostrification Process
Every Czech institution requires a nostrification certificate to check for eligibility against Czech standards. This is essentially the process of certifying the educational qualification by the Czech authority.
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There are two ways to get the nostrification certification. It can be done through the regional authority of the applying institute or through the university itself. In the latter case, the university needs to be accredited to be able to certify the educational qualification.
Also, in the case of university certification, the certification is only valid for the specific university, and it cannot be used for applying to other institutes.
So the safest route is to get the nostrification done from any Czech regional authority. To get the nostrification, a student will need the following –
-Official certified report or certificate outlining the graduation from high school or bachelor or the last completed education level. The document needs to be Czech notarized along with a translation from the standard Czech court interpreter.
-Official transcripts are notarized and translated in the above-mentioned process.
-Certification of the institute as a legal educational body.
-Personal identification document (Passport/ NID copy)
-Administrative fee payment of 1000 CZK (4361 BDT).
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It takes about 30 days to get the nostrification process to be verified. After that, the verification document can be submitted along with the standard application to the prospective institutes.
To know more about the Nostrification process, you can visit the following link https://nostrifikace.mkc.cz/en/uznavani-pro-studium/nostrifikace.
Cost of Education in the Czech Republic
The cost of education in the Czech Republic is fairly nominal, especially if you go to public universities. One thing to note is that there are next to no scholarship opportunities at the bachelor’s level in the Czech Republic. Scholarships are mostly available at the master’s and Ph.D. levels.
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Without a scholarship, the tuition fee for a bachelor comes at around 1500 to 3000 EUR per year which roughly amounts to 159,222 to 318,445 BDT per year (1 EUR = 106 BDT).
For masters, the cost can go up to 5000 EUR per year 530,743 BDT. For Ph.D., prospective students will have to pay 2000 EUR per year or 212,297 BDT.
Scholarship Opportunities in the Czech Republic
Most of the government-funded scholarship opportunities in the Czech Republic aren’t available for Bangladeshi students. Students can apply to the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees scholarship along with the following university-based scholarships for masters.
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Living and Work Environment in the Czech Republic
Now moving on to the living cost in the Czech Republic, students will be glad to know that the cost can get as low as 350 EUR with an average cost in main cities like Prague being 750 EUR. This roughly amounts to around 37,163 BDT to 79,636 BDT.
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Another great thing about the Czech Republic is that there is no word limit for a student. A student can work as much as they want to support themselves provided they can maintain good academic results.
Final Words
The Czech Republic has been slowly rising as a global higher education hub thanks to its immigration and international student-friendly policies. Even though it is still nascent, international students can consider the Czech Republic as a study-abroad destination.
But unfortunately, the scope of scholarships is very much limited compared to other European countries. So if you can cover the cost either by self-fund or by working part-time, the Czech Republic can be a great destination to lay the foundation of a secured career.
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So far, we have discussed the application process, and associated costs in bachelor, MS, or Ph.D. programs for international students in the Czech Republic. Hope it helps!
Source: United News of Bangladesh